NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Health's expert group is studying the suggestion given by the Serum Institute of India (SII) CEO Adar Poonawalla to reduce the gap between the second and third doses of Covid-19 vaccine.
Poonawalla had recently suggested that the government should think of reducing the gap between the second dose and the third dose to six months from the present nine months to meet the global standard amid the sufficient availability of doses of vaccines in the country.
“The expert group of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is studying what Poonawalla had recently suggested to the government over reducing the gap between the second and the third doses. Whatever suggestions our Expert-Group (EG) had so far come out with, we have followed since the outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic”, Union health minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya said at the BJP-central office-based media interface on Tuesday.
He further claimed that India reported 380 deaths per million population against 788 deaths globally reported. “In the same way, when 63,458 cases of infection of Covid-19 were reported globally per million population, India has reported only 31,383 cases making itself able to limit the spread of infection”, the health minister claimed.
Replying to a query, he further claimed that more than 185.9 crore doses of vaccine have so far been administered in the country including 2.5 crore doses administered in a single day on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s birthday-which is an equivalent to the population of Australia. “India is now the first country in the world to administer the 1st dose to over 97% of the population above 18 age group and 85% of them vaccinated with the second dose”, he claimed.
He also claimed that the country has registered 6.5 lakh deaths so far due to the Covid-19 just because of good scientific Covid-19 management adopted across the country. Upon being asked whether the government is planning for vaccination of children below 12; Dr Mandaviya said that in a very few countries vaccination for children below 12 has been started.
“Children were tested positive for the infection of Covid-19 during all phases of the pandemic but the infection was not effective amongst them as a high prevalence of antibodies was found in their bodies. So, I think, it’s not needed at present. India is overcoming Corona with the world’s largest and fast-paced vaccination drive being carried out with a global standard”, he said. But he called upon the people not to remain complacent since Covid-19 is only under control but not overcome.
He also said that the health ministry on the occasion of ‘Aazadi Ke Amrit Mahotsav, which is now being observed, has also decided to organize a weeklong free teleconsultation drive with various other health and yoga programs from April 16 to 23 at 1 lakh health and wellness centres in the country.
The minister further pointed out, “There are 1.17 lakh health and wellness centres in the country, out of them, on 1 lakh health and wellness centres between April 16 and 23, there would be yoga programs, the Ayushman health fairs and other health awareness programs apart from teleconsultation to the people at the block level.